Atiku Challenges Tinubu Over $460,000 US Forfeiture, Rejects Presidency’s Attack on Lobbyist

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address questions surrounding a historical $460,000 forfeiture in the United States rather than focus on attacks against a lobbying firm representing his interests in Washington.

The challenge was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu. He was responding to comments by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, who had criticised Atiku’s engagement of US lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York.

Dare had cautioned against suggestions that the firm’s managing partner, Karl Von Batten, could influence the administration of US President Donald Trump or ongoing court proceedings. Shaibu, however, argued that the Presidency was diverting attention from issues contained in historical American judicial records by concentrating on Atiku’s lobbyist.

Atiku hired the lobbying firm in March in a deal reportedly worth $1.2 million to protect and strengthen his reputation in the United States. Documents filed with the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act reportedly listed countering the Nigerian government’s lobbying narratives in Washington among the objectives of the engagement.

Shaibu said the firm had openly registered its activities with the US authorities and therefore could not reasonably be portrayed as operating secretly. He further challenged Tinubu to explain the circumstances surrounding historical US federal records and a court-ordered forfeiture involving $460,000 held in an account linked to him.

“These are not documents written by Atiku Abubakar. They were not manufactured by Karl Von Batten. They form part of an American judicial record,” Shaibu said.

He acknowledged that civil forfeiture does not amount to a criminal conviction, but maintained that the existence of the court records remained a legitimate subject of public scrutiny. His statement stopped short of claiming that Tinubu had been criminally convicted in relation to the matter.

Shaibu also accused the Tinubu administration of double standards over its criticism of Atiku’s lobbying expenditure. He alleged that the Federal Government had entered into a separate arrangement with DCI Group worth $750,000 monthly, potentially reaching several million dollars depending on the duration of the contract.

He argued that both political figures were entitled to engage lobbyists and said public debate should instead focus on Nigerians’ economic difficulties, including food prices, transport costs, electricity bills, insecurity and weakening purchasing power.

“President Tinubu, before counting Atiku’s $1.2 million, account for your own $9 million arrangement. And before attacking the messenger, answer the $460,000 question,” Shaibu said.